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thalassocrat
- FB Fan -
United Kingdom
46 Posts |
 Posted - 07/10/2003 : 11:11:39
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What are the saddest FB songs? ( No, not bad songs, there aren't any right? just ones you want to cry along to). Its a kind of a difficult question since most of Frank's songs are quite upbeat and catchy. I was desilussioned by SMYT - good album but reviews got me expecting something else: "Thirteen big, salty tears. Like thirteen little black dogs just born, still in their sacs, about to wake up, ready to howl at the world. There isn’t a happy song in this bunch." - which I think its an overstatement.
I knida like sad songs in a very special way, different from fun ones. So just Imagine you were to compile an album to knock off Lou Reed's "Berlin" as the world's most depressing album ever. What three FB songs would you include?
1. The Last Stand of Shazeb Andleed
2. The New House of the Pope
3. Cold Heart of Stone
they speak vaudevillian... |
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speedy_m
= Frankofile =
Canada
3581 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2003 : 12:06:24
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| It's pixies, but I think "Motorway to Roswell" is pretty sad. Poor little guy, ending up in army crates. That's not right. Also, I think the song could be interpreted as a metaphor, wherein Frank is comparing himself or a part of his life to the plight of the little man from the stars. He says "I started driving on the motorway, I was feeling down". He's making this trek to Roswell, and he's feeling sad and maybe ends up the same way as the alien: lost and alone. |
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El Barto
= Song DB Master =
USA
4020 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2003 : 13:27:30
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I do have to say Motorway is a very sad song. I don't know about depressing, but it's very sad beautiful. The ending part gives me chills.
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FRANK BLACK SATAN WORKSHIP BLACK MASS |
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frank_black_francis
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
895 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2003 : 14:42:46
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| 85 weeks is kinda sad.... |
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Brackish Girl
~ Soul Eater ~
Ireland
1750 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2003 : 15:36:33
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the swimmer...or wave of mutalation. they seem to have a large connection...and its not really sad cos the guy seems happy, but that whole bravery element makes me cry.
bored of the little comments. i guess i'll just have an actual signature. much shorter.
-Jessie |
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Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11687 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2003 : 16:03:58
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| I kind of find So. Bay to be a little depressing - not as far as mood or tone of the song, but the subject matter from a societal point of view. |
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franktaper
- FB Fan -
USA
158 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2003 : 16:05:11
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I wonder if I'll Be Blue has anything to do with sadness? |
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Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11687 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2003 : 16:18:00
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"Gee, what a sad, sad song that is"
- Frank Black |
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WPater
- FB Fan -
19 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2003 : 17:18:38
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Think I'll take issue with Cold Heart as a sad song, though I know I'll be in the minority on this one.
This fellow takes a baby step beyond pathetic into scary.
Here is a fellow who stalks his girlfriend - 'Yeah I know where you are'.
Buys her the same gift over and over again - "well I gave you a tub"
And most telling - "I once had a dog who ran from his home"
How hard is it to make a dog love you?
The tone of the first 2 lines is telling, only the 3rd shows a bit of sadness, for his abused dog.
I wonder why she started stepping out.
Most of BLD is filled with the pathetic, the lost and outright losers wrapped in pretty little songs.
OK I'm ready to duck
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ProverbialCereal
- FB TabMaster -
USA
2953 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2003 : 18:05:36
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I'm not sure if there are many FB songs that make me the kind of sad that certain Tom Waits' songs make me sad. I guess Dog Gone is kind of sad in its own way.
-Derek |
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Pioneer
- FB Fan -
213 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2003 : 20:11:59
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| Is "I Will Run After You" not sad? |
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Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11687 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2003 : 21:03:58
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Pioneer old chum... I was worried that 'they' had got you. Good to see you.
That is all. |
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ProverbialCereal
- FB TabMaster -
USA
2953 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2003 : 22:13:54
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I don't find I Will Run After You that sad. To me the music is more relaxing, with a bit of dedication and hope. "If you leave, I will run after you." It's more of a supposition of what he'd do if his woman left him. Or maybe it's a dog? Same one from dog gone? Perhaps it's a precursor to Cold Heart of Stone and how his dog ran away. Maybe his Dog was in the Sand and then ran from his home.
-Derek |
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WPater
- FB Fan -
19 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2003 : 22:30:26
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I will run-
isn’t this women way out of his league, isn’t he just hanging on?
'cause you gotta be tired of me now that I could believe'
He is fretting about a woman who hasn’t left yet, but that he knows will, cause she see his weakness and when she does he is going to run after her, whining till the end of the song.
I’ve read more than a few reviews about the end, calling it too long and pointless. To me its brilliant, cinematic, starting with a walk and that plaintive whine and slowly building to a full run still whining and crying.
And I’m willing to bet most of us have been in a similar situation, maybe not running and crying but feeling like it.
The point being that its easy to feel sorry for the condition he’s in but what’s interesting is who the guy is, why he’s this way and what he’s going to do – his character. All of which FB tucks in there for us.
I don’t think FB writes truly sad songs. He is to analytical for that.
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theonecontender
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
565 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2003 : 23:19:13
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Solid Gold.
I ain't never gettin' married. |
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theonecontender
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
565 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2003 : 23:20:08
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| Actually, I guess Solid Gold should be filed under angry. |
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floop
= Wannabe Volunteer =
Mexico
15297 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2003 : 23:47:39
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i could probably think of a few.. but i distinctly remember being at a solo show last year and hearing Southbound Bevy and almost breaking out a few tears..
but then, that could have been a combination of being drunk and going through some shit at the time..
nonetheless, i think that's a pretty "sad" song...
Floop (back in LA!) |
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Pioneer
- FB Fan -
213 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 06:13:59
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quote:
Originally posted by Cult_Of_Frank
Pioneer old chum... I was worried that 'they' had got you. Good to see you.
That is all.
Thanks, boss. I have been spending time with a new lady, which seems to be a good thing so far. Anyway, my parrot does think she's working for the other side, but he'll say anything to upset me. |
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Pioneer
- FB Fan -
213 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 06:19:51
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| And as for "I Will Run After You," technically, I suppose, it's about vulnerability and devotion. But the singer definitely seems to have worked himself into a plaintive state imagining a nightmare scenario and what he'd do about it. And the lyric, "'Cause you got a bit tired of me now, that I could believe" sounds a little mopy and insecure to me. I always thought the song sounded sad, too, even the obsessively repetitive coda. |
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Scarla O
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
947 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 06:35:43
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'Southbound Bevy'...quite melancholic. |
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Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11687 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 06:38:12
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| I like the idea of it being tied in with Cold Heart of Stone, actually, I think that's some great insight. Run after the girl as the ending becomes more frantic and then right into stalking mode. I don't know that I consider the song sad, necessarily, but great insight. |
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El Barto
= Song DB Master =
USA
4020 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 07:31:59
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Having spent a lot of time with I Will Run (check it out on the tribute soon! plug plug!), I don't necessarily find it a horribly sad song. I find it more of a twisted love song in a way. It has elements of sadness and anger, but the title line shows a sort of promise and hope...even so, it's still a little creepy. The first verse mainly goes over reasons why she might leave him, the second verse mainly goes over how he would react to her leaving, and the ending is what he would do instead of reacting those ways. Pretty brilliant in my opinion. The ending might drag on, yes, but the SSMVGD had a much better conclusion. The BLD version just kind of ended, and it was a shit ending like several songs on BLD.
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FRANK BLACK SATAN WORKSHIP BLACK MASS |
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speedy_m
= Frankofile =
Canada
3581 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 07:38:01
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You know Pioneer, when you mention that wacky parrot of yours (sounds like the plot of some terrible sitcom "That Wacky Parrot - Tuesdays on the WB!), I think of Mr. Ignatius J. Reilly and in particular the cover of "A Confederacy of Dunces". I'm sure you look nothing like that mountain of a man, but I will forever associate you two, and imagine you to look/act like him.
Oh, and welcome back my friend, good to hear from you again, and good luck/congrats on the lady friend! |
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Pioneer
- FB Fan -
213 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 09:26:30
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| I just searched for the particular cover you're talking about, and if it's the Grove Press paperback edition, that's hilarious. I could learn to enjoy projecting that image. |
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speedy_m
= Frankofile =
Canada
3581 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 09:34:42
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| Yellow bird, fat feller with black 'stache and ubiquitous green cap? If that's the Grove Press pback ed., then yes, it is hilarious, and you should project that image. More so. Have you read the book? You might not want to channel Ignatius as much when you learn more about him.... |
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Dallas
= Cult of Ray =
USA
725 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 09:43:17
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yes, Confederacy is a funny read, and I agree be careful embracing the Ignatious image until you've read it yourself...
Southbound Bevy definitely has a melancholy feel for me, but I love the song |
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Pioneer
- FB Fan -
213 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 09:55:55
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| I haven't read "Confederacy," but the summary I read was appealing. Ignatius must have a deep dark secret. Either that or you guys are going too hard on him. |
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speedy_m
= Frankofile =
Canada
3581 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 09:59:52
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| I don't know, I'm only part way through it at the moment. If he has a deep dark secret, I haven't figured it out. If I had to guess, I'd say his was secretly afraid failure and society in general, and is a closet xenophobe (though where else would a xenophobe be?). |
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blarg007
= Cult of Ray =
USA
493 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 10:12:24
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'i've been sufferin' is sad but funny
-'robert onion' is actually sad (i know someone named robert
with that 'layer' thing going on -not to mention a cinebar connection.
-that's the kinda thing that brings us all here -this eerie connection to a soul that speaks for things we all feel and experience at one time or another -way eloquently- 'Mr. Thompson be a phenomenon...'
absolutely -'cold heart of stone' -no matter how you pick it apart
(stalking??)IT IS A STATEMENT OF PURE SADNESS.
R |
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blarg007
= Cult of Ray =
USA
493 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 10:26:26
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OKAY. -by 'sad' i'm goin' by my interp. of what the man is singing
-i'd have to replace 'robert onion' with 'stupid me'
a lot of his writng is sad in a complex but fascinating way...
-'how you went so far' could replace 'sufferin' as 'sufferin'
actually has a charged up sound for a sad song...
'...winter blows through my coat,..it's chillin' my bones'
-when you hear him play that in chicago it resonates and gives
a chill-'cold heart of stone' stays.
R |
Edited by - blarg007 on 07/11/2003 10:27:06 |
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Perhaps
- FB Fan -
133 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 10:43:00
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I remember reading somehwere that FB suggested he writes songs that appear sad when he is really in good spirits. That puts a pretty huge wrinkle into things. In fact, makes me think that some songs are more sad than others. Like, I NEED PEACE is to me a really sad song. But, if under the guise of a sad song, then it's really happy. Maybe JUMPING BEANS is "really" a sad song?
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blarg007
= Cult of Ray =
USA
493 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 11:02:16
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i need peace was a fave of mine for quite awhile -can't listen to it for awhile now..
yeah, actually i get the impression a lot from what i hear
(these days i commute to 2 hours of compilations of FB and pixies
-something going on inside i suppose -on minidisc)that he is simply
a writer in the classic fiction mode -he experiences within a whole
pattern of a life or episode (by within i mean in his mind)
writers are all different and i liken him to philip k. dick
in that he obviously puts himself into character and lives it
-and cranks out the story in the meantime, hence his proficient output.
R |
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Dallas
= Cult of Ray =
USA
725 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 13:01:29
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I'm changing my vote. I should have said Ballad of Shazeb Andleeb as the sad FB tune. That story is a bummer...
"he had no chance to fight...he ascended into light"
"Odds were 6 to 1..." |
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IceCream
= Quote Accumulator =
USA
1850 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 13:22:30
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quote:
Originally posted by ProverbialCereal
I'm not sure if there are many FB songs that make me the kind of sad that certain Tom Waits' songs make me sad. I guess Dog Gone is kind of sad in its own way.
-Derek
Yeah, I thought Dog Gone was pretty sad in its own way. It has a sad feel to it. "Suffering" could have been sad, but it seems too rocking to be sad. Same way with "Out of State": the lyrics are sad about how Frank doesn't belong, but the tune is so incredibly awesome that it makes me happy when I hear it. Oh yeah. |
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therewererumours
* Dog in the Sand *
Ireland
1240 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 13:35:41
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I think I Dont Want to Hurt You is probably his "saddest" song for me. " And now we're falling apart in this lack of gravity, and my heart is just a muscle in a cavitiy, but it hurts so bad, and I'm trying to say I'm definitly blind". Lovely bitter sweet lyrics that gets me all so emotional!
"I meet a man with no little toe and a real big head" |
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BrendanT
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
907 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2003 : 13:36:46
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At The End Of The World. It doesn't get much sadder!
Strummer-man
I had me a vision!
Buttercup! Bubbles! Let's go! |
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